I Am Experiencing Almost All the Symptoms for BPD

Asked by nadia533 on 2018-09-11 with 1 answer:

From a teen in the U,S.: I fit the DSM-5 Criteria for BPD. I scored 88 for BPD on sanity score connected to psychcenteral, and the borderline test connected to psychcentral gave me a score of 43 when 33+ is supposed to be generally severe. I know that BPD isn’t usually diagnosed in adolescents but recent studies are starting to show that symptoms actually start at this age.

Can it technically be diagnosed at this age or do psychiatrists still not diagnose because of all the hormones teens have? I don’t know if I have this and the chances are low, so I don’t mean to self diagnose, but is this something I should be worried about or bother looking into more? I do see a therapist every other week for my depression and anxiety but I am so far too scared to mention that I feel like this possibly might be what I’m experiencing. Where should I go from here? Thank you.

Thank you for writing. I understand why you are concerned. The reason that most mental health professionals hesitate to diagnose a 14-year-old like you with Borderline Personality Disorder is that, as you pointed out, the teen years are a time of enormous physiological change and self-discovery. In the process, the behaviors of some teens can look like the symptoms of BPD. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to have Borderline Personality Disorder as an adolescent. But it does make it less likely that it is the cause of the “symptoms” (emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, etc.).

The person to talk to is your therapist. Therapists can’t work effectively if there isn’t enough trust for a client to share everything that is troubling to them. Do explain to your therapist that there are issues you are hesitant to discuss and why. I hope you will work it through so your therapist can be maximally helpful to you.

I wish you well. Dr. Marie

I Am Experiencing Almost All the Symptoms for BPD

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Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker

Dr. Marie is licensed as both a psychologist and marriage and family counselor. She specializes in couples and family therapy and parent education. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

APA Reference Hartwell-Walker, D. (2018). I Am Experiencing Almost All the Symptoms for BPD. Psych Central.
Retrieved on September 15, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/ask-the-therapist/2018/09/14/i-am-experiencing-almost-all-the-symptoms-for-bpd/

Last updated: 11 Sep 2018Last reviewed: By a member of our scientific advisory board on 11 Sep 2018Published on Psych Central.com. All rights reserved.